6K Vaccines Administered By MD National Guard So Far: Governor

As Maryland ramps up its capacity to provide COVID-19 vaccinations statewide, the Maryland National Guard is stepping in to assist. The guard is helping the Maryland Department of Health to prepare mass vaccination sites that the governor said could be operational as soon as early February.

“They’ve never failed to come through in a crisis," Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement, commending the National Guard for its agility.

From Jan. 6 to Jan. 21, he said Maryland National Guard Mobile Vaccination Support Teams helped administer more than 6,000 immunizations to protect people against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

So far, Maryland health officials say 280,769 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered as of Friday, Jan. 22, a little more than a month after the state began receiving it.

Members of the Maryland Army National Guard and Maryland Air National Guard who are medical professionals and support personnel make up the vaccination support teams.

The teams have been deployed to an average of six sites a day, which is expected to increase as more jurisdictions ask for support and more vaccines become available.

So far, the guard has assisted health officials with vaccination sites in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Charles, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s and Talbot counties.

The guard has also sent troops to assist local health departments with coronavirus testing sites.

“Once again, we’re breaking new ground in the fight against COVID-19,” Army Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen, adjutant general for Maryland, said in a statement. "Last year it was helping to protect the most vulnerable at nursing homes. Now, we’re helping get the vaccine to the people who need it most. Neither of these are traditional military missions, and it really shows the versatility of our citizen soldiers and citizen airmen that they can pivot so quickly to tackle new missions."

See Also:

• Baltimore County Vaccinates Most People In MD: Officials
• Montgomery Co. COVID-19 Cases Up To 55,951, Death Toll Hits 1,220
• Coronavirus Draws MD National Guard To Fan Out Across State